The all-Olds junior B lacrosse games last season were fun while they lasted.
This year, the Olds Mavericks team is moving up into the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League's Tier II.
They will play in the south conference, with teams from central and southern Alberta.
The season will start in late April.
"There are definitely going to be teams that are better calibre than we've faced in the past," said Mavericks coach Andy Sweetman.
Sweetman and Olds Stingers coach Gary Gaudette hoped they would have one Olds team in Tier II and another in Tier III last year but their request was denied by the league.
"Because nobody knew really, who we were and what we could accomplish in Olds, because we're a small town, one of the smallest towns with a junior lacrosse team," he said.
Both Olds teams met in the Tier III final last year, with Sweetman's team prevailing in its first year of existence.
Not only is Sweetman looking forward to better competition, he's eager for the increased quantity as well – nine opponents versus just four last year.
"By the end of the year, you knew what people were doing. This year, we're not going to know anybody," he said. "It's going to be more of a challenge coaching-wise and player-wise and understanding what other teams are running for systems and how they play the game."
If needed, the Mavericks will also be able to call up players from the Stingers.
Sweetman adds that he and Gaudette are looking for more coaches.
"We're looking for some extra help on the bench. It was tough last year, doing basically everything on each team. We couldn't help each other out as much as we hoped."
